Mellieha council does not object to Qortin land development

The Mellieha council is not objecting to a zoning application for the development of land in il-Qortin leased by the government to a private developer.

However, the council called for the retention of part of land in its natural garigue state, something already proposed by the developer.

The council’s submission to the Planning Authority referred to a map presented by the developer, which divides the site into a 4,341 sq.m plot earmarked for residential development and a 919sq.m plot along Wesghat in-Narcis that the developers want to keep in its natural state without landscaping.

The development of this area was already envisaged in the local plan approved under a Nationalist government in 2006. Still, it was the decision of the Labour government to transfer this plot of public land to private interests that ultimately made the proposed development possible.

The zoning application was presented by Paul Attard’s T&S Property Holdings Limited. Until recently, the land was government-owned but was then leased to the company for 15 years for a €400,000 price tag earlier this year.

The council insists that the height of the proposed buildings should not exceed that of surrounding buildings in the area. Landscaped spaces between the proposed blocks should be accessible only to pedestrians, thus blocked from the sides of Triq is-Sagħtar and Triq il-Miġbħa.

Moreover, the council is against the development of retail outlets in the new development, as this could increase traffic in the area. The council also insists on the provision of enough parking spaces to cater for the new development and is against the application of a Planning Authority policy that allows developers to pay a sum of money for any parking space they fail to provide.

Over 70 residents have already objected to the zoning application, pointing out that this green area is home to a lot of flora and fauna. They argue that the proposal defies the government’s policy to prioritise the creation of green spaces, especially in an area that has been a constant construction site for the past 15 years.

Nationalist MPs Ivan Castillo and Robert Cutajar and Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer had opposed the transfer of public land to the private developer, insisting that the land should be retained as a green space.